Huh? No other comments here? Weird............ Let me begin by saying that if I wrote this piece it would be a little different, but the essential question you're asking would stay the same. (Why do I do this when it makes no sense in the context of 2023 American life?) I too have always had the (probably romantic) image of myself as a struggling artist, living in a garret, wrestling to give birth to a work of genius. You know of which I speak, right? I did live that archetype for a number of years. I supported myself, just barely, by driving a cab, writing and painting when I could, but ultimately found it necessary to beat a retreat, get a straight job, and eventually have a family. Sellout, right? Ha! Even a happy fate can be cruel. Fast forward to today. When I go into a bookstore, when I open Amazon, when I turn on Netflix, I am struck by the sheer monstrous excess, surplus, surfeit, superabundance of everything. Who reads all these bright new books? When I browse a little, I'm even more puzzled. You said it! The world does not need another book. It does not need another movie or TV show either. We (collectively), even if we were given a hundred years to dedicate ourselves to it, will never catch up to today. So why do I do this writing thing? There is no good answer. The best one might simply be, "from compulsion." I'm obsessed. I have these ideas and I need to write them down before they disappear like smoke. Then I need to organize them and finesse them. Why? For who? Do I think some future archaeologist will discover my work so I should make sure I've crossed my t's and dotted all my i's? Absurd. Do I do this for my friends? I don't know about you but my friends, the ones who read stories anyway, are pretty shallow readers. (They have other charms thankfully). Is it for myself? Now I seem to be getting to the crux of it. Writing seems to be something I need to do for myself. I like that quote from Joan Didion: "I write to find out what I think." That's the approximate paraphrase, but the meaning resonates. If I did not write this stuff I feel like I could never understand myself or the life I've been leading on planet Earth. It's crazy because I spend so much time on this pursuit, time that I should (perhaps) be simply "living." Where does this strange idea originate that it is a good thing to "make something" of your life? What is the worth? What is the value except to yourself? It's a great mystery, and we may very well be acting on self delusion.
I started following you when I read the fascinating exchange between you and GMBaker. Thank you for writing about writing! TBH, I don't know much about the Universe, but I do believe my country does need my novel. So I'm writing it. That was the existential invitation I accepted, but there are many more reasons, some of which I cannot articulate. But here goes:
- I meant it when I said the country needs my novel...I believe it does. I would welcome it from any author, but my life experience makes me a good candidate for authoring it.
- The topic is something I know about and I've spent two years doing research to make sure I under the dimensions of the experience
- Writing is my only well-developed skill. I've written since I was a child-poems, short stories, magazine articles, media reviews, political speeches, white papers, greeting cards, print/TV/digital advertising, public relations materials, package and catalog copy..guess I missed fortune cookie blurbs.
- I hold an advanced degree in communication with a concentration in persuasion. I knew about the muckrakers, especially Upton Sinclair. I wanted to turn my professional and educational experiences into using a novel as a modern-day Paul Revere: to warn, excite, arm with info, and motivate.
- I love to learn. I started to write this novel...couldn't. So I took fiction (creative writing) classes for 2 years...still take them and learn something every semester. It's been a great trip!
- Writing gives meaning to my life because it links me to others--readers. It also gives me reasons to reach out, to study and communicate with a range of others with a purpose.
- I've particularly enjoyed how to employ plot twists. I love secrets, their meaning, discovery, concealment, and surprise factor.
- I can't think of a better 'something' to do with my time: Wash dishes? Go shopping? Watch TV? Read and ranting in WaPo and the NYT? Taking a group bus tour of Scotland?
I found a doc I wrote several years ago about my writing that made some of these points. I forgot my writer’s slogan:
Have pen, will scribble.
That says it all.
Huh? No other comments here? Weird............ Let me begin by saying that if I wrote this piece it would be a little different, but the essential question you're asking would stay the same. (Why do I do this when it makes no sense in the context of 2023 American life?) I too have always had the (probably romantic) image of myself as a struggling artist, living in a garret, wrestling to give birth to a work of genius. You know of which I speak, right? I did live that archetype for a number of years. I supported myself, just barely, by driving a cab, writing and painting when I could, but ultimately found it necessary to beat a retreat, get a straight job, and eventually have a family. Sellout, right? Ha! Even a happy fate can be cruel. Fast forward to today. When I go into a bookstore, when I open Amazon, when I turn on Netflix, I am struck by the sheer monstrous excess, surplus, surfeit, superabundance of everything. Who reads all these bright new books? When I browse a little, I'm even more puzzled. You said it! The world does not need another book. It does not need another movie or TV show either. We (collectively), even if we were given a hundred years to dedicate ourselves to it, will never catch up to today. So why do I do this writing thing? There is no good answer. The best one might simply be, "from compulsion." I'm obsessed. I have these ideas and I need to write them down before they disappear like smoke. Then I need to organize them and finesse them. Why? For who? Do I think some future archaeologist will discover my work so I should make sure I've crossed my t's and dotted all my i's? Absurd. Do I do this for my friends? I don't know about you but my friends, the ones who read stories anyway, are pretty shallow readers. (They have other charms thankfully). Is it for myself? Now I seem to be getting to the crux of it. Writing seems to be something I need to do for myself. I like that quote from Joan Didion: "I write to find out what I think." That's the approximate paraphrase, but the meaning resonates. If I did not write this stuff I feel like I could never understand myself or the life I've been leading on planet Earth. It's crazy because I spend so much time on this pursuit, time that I should (perhaps) be simply "living." Where does this strange idea originate that it is a good thing to "make something" of your life? What is the worth? What is the value except to yourself? It's a great mystery, and we may very well be acting on self delusion.
I started following you when I read the fascinating exchange between you and GMBaker. Thank you for writing about writing! TBH, I don't know much about the Universe, but I do believe my country does need my novel. So I'm writing it. That was the existential invitation I accepted, but there are many more reasons, some of which I cannot articulate. But here goes:
- I meant it when I said the country needs my novel...I believe it does. I would welcome it from any author, but my life experience makes me a good candidate for authoring it.
- The topic is something I know about and I've spent two years doing research to make sure I under the dimensions of the experience
- Writing is my only well-developed skill. I've written since I was a child-poems, short stories, magazine articles, media reviews, political speeches, white papers, greeting cards, print/TV/digital advertising, public relations materials, package and catalog copy..guess I missed fortune cookie blurbs.
- I hold an advanced degree in communication with a concentration in persuasion. I knew about the muckrakers, especially Upton Sinclair. I wanted to turn my professional and educational experiences into using a novel as a modern-day Paul Revere: to warn, excite, arm with info, and motivate.
- I love to learn. I started to write this novel...couldn't. So I took fiction (creative writing) classes for 2 years...still take them and learn something every semester. It's been a great trip!
- Writing gives meaning to my life because it links me to others--readers. It also gives me reasons to reach out, to study and communicate with a range of others with a purpose.
- I've particularly enjoyed how to employ plot twists. I love secrets, their meaning, discovery, concealment, and surprise factor.
- I can't think of a better 'something' to do with my time: Wash dishes? Go shopping? Watch TV? Read and ranting in WaPo and the NYT? Taking a group bus tour of Scotland?